A new fire broke out in the area of Bileća, which came close to a populated place, and now the priority is to bring it under control, followed by extinguishing the fire near Nevesinje and Gacko, said Boban Kusturić, Senior Director of the Helicopter Service of the Republika Srpska.
“Until an hour ago, we were putting out the fire in Tjentište, but the /acting/ director of Civil Protection Boris Trninić informed me that a big fire had appeared near Bileća, and that the village was threatened, because the fire had reached the houses, so we transferred to that area,” Kusturić said.
He stated that for the last hour, helicopters have been extinguishing the fire near Bileća in order to cut off the fire from populated areas.
“While we were flying from Tjentište to Bileća, we noticed two large fires, one towards Nevesinje and one near Gacko, but they are not close to populated areas. So the plan is to react first where the population is at risk,” noted Kusturić.
He stated that helicopters have been flying since the early hours of the morning, and that more than 300 tons of water have been released today, which is more than any of the previous days.
“We are making maximum efforts and will do our best to cut off these fires from populated areas,” said Kusturić.
He said that even today, a helicopter of the Serbian Helicopter Service and two helicopters of the helicopter unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia operate as joint forces.
“We may have to send a request for another helicopter from Serbia, because, apart from this fire near Bileća that we are putting out, we have two more that we can start extinguishing only when we rehabilitate and secure the settlements in Bileća,” said Kusturić.
